The goal of a low carb, ketogenic diet plan is to improve health through switching the metabolism to burn fat instead of sugar or glucose. This is achieved through a metabolic state called ketosis. Ketosis is simply a normal metabolic process in which the body cells burn molecules called ketones to make energy, instead of relying on sugar or carbohydrate.

Ketosis is a beneficial process which the human body has developed as an adaptation to times when food is unavailable. Ketone bodies have been shown to improve disease conditions and protect the body and are now being used to treat medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, autism, Alzheimer's, cancer and others.

This page will answer some questions you may have about a ketogenic diet plan including:

Who should NOT follow a ketogenic diet: list of medical contraindications.﻿﻿

How do I start a ketogenic diet plan?

Do I need to worry about the "dangers of low carb diets"?

What are the side effects of a ketogenic diet?

What are the benefits of a ketogenic diet?

But first a little legal and medical coverage: Although I have a Master's degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition, I am not a physician. I do have extensive experience with eating the ketogenic way, and I cured my health problems with a ketogenic diet. I am not guaranteeing that this diet will work for you or cure your health problems. I am just sharing what I know about ketogenic diets. Click here for the full legal disclaimer.

The Basic Concepts

There are many low carbohydrate, ketogenic diet plans from which to choose. (The Atkins diet is just the most famous). They all involve following a higher fat, moderate protein, low carb food plan.

The main difference between a regular low carb diet plan and a ketogenic diet plan is the amount of carbohydrate and protein allowed on a daily basis:

A ketogenic diet plan requires tracking the carb amounts in the foods eaten and keeping carbohydrate intake between 20-60 grams per day. The daily protein requirement will be moderate, and depends on height, gender and how much exercise is done. The balance of calories will be from fats. These ratios ensure that most people go into ketosis and stay there, which is the main objective of the ketogenic diet.

The nutrient intake on a ketogenic diet typically works out to about 70-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrate on a daily basis when calories are not restricted. Since a ketogenic diet reduces hunger, calorie counting is optional. However it's important to understand how macronutrient percentages can be affected by caloric intake, so you may want to read the calorie counting page to clarify your thoughts on this subject.

The key to understanding a ketogenic diet plan is to remember that one is swapping out the carbs in the diet with a higher fat and a moderate protein intake.

Why high fat and moderate protein? Fats have little to no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. Protein does affect both blood sugar and insulin, if large quantities are consumed. If you overeat protein (more than 1.5-2.0 grams/kg lean body mass), it can drive up your blood insulin levels temporarily. High insulin levels can put the brakes on the body's ability to release and burn the fatty acids which provide the substrate for ketosis. This affects some people more than others, however. It most likely depends on how insulin resistant you are and how much you exercise.

In addition, eating a diet that is heavy on lean protein (without enough fat) can make one sick with a condition know as "rabbit starvation". It can also wreck the metabolism in other ways.

How to Start A Ketogenic Diet Plan

Although this website contains all the information you need, there are also several books which explain the science behind ketogenic diets as well. They were my "go to" sources and I recommend that you get one or two and read them.

The bottom line here is to make sure to understand everything that will happen when carbohydrate intake drops. Ketogenic diets are very, very powerful, metabolically speaking and this is especially important if you take any kind of medication for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol or triglycerides. The amount taken of these medications will most likely need to be sharply reduced while on a ketogenic diet to avoid negative effects such as excessively low blood sugar or blood pressure.